Dash cam mount

ABSTRACT

A mount for an electronic device includes a suction cup defining a front face attachable to a flat surface and an opposed rear face, a plunger having a plunger head attached to the rear face of the suction cup and a plunger arm extending away from the plunger head, a plunger stator defining a guide passage through which the plunger arm reciprocates relative to the plunger stator, a plunger actuator movably engaged with the plunger arm on an opposite side of the guide passage as the plunger head, an adapter attached to the plunger stator on the same side of the guide passage as the plunger head, the adapter defining an opening through which the plunger arm extends and a wire routing channel at least partially around a periphery of the adapter, and a mounting arm extending from the adapter and connectable to an electronic device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application relates to and claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication No. 62/730,321 filed Sep. 12, 2018 and entitled “DASH CAMMOUNT,” the entire disclosure of which is hereby wholly incorporated byreference. This application also relates to and claims the benefit ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 62/786,082 filed Dec. 28, 2018 andentitled “DASH CAM MOUNT,” the entire disclosure of which is herebywholly incorporated by reference.

STATEMENT RE: FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH/DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND 1. Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to device mounts for electronicdevices and, more particularly, to dash cam mounts for use in vehicleinteriors.

2. Related Art

In order to take advantage of the latest technology or to otherwiseprovide non-native functionality to automobiles and other vehicles,third party electronic devices are often retrofitted to vehicleinteriors. Such devices may include, for example, navigation systemssuch as GPS (Global Positioning System) navigation assistance devices,audio systems such as satellite radio, docks and chargers for mobiledevices, and image or audio capture devices such as dash cams or otheroutward or inward facing cameras. The various available modalities forsecurely mounting such devices allow for a variety of mounting positionswithin a vehicle interior. However, there remains a fundamentalinconvenience in that such devices typically must be connected by one ormore wires to a power outlet and/or data port located elsewhere in thevehicle. The resulting wires may create a messy, unattractive appearancewithin the vehicle and, in some cases, may even create a nuisance byobstructing a driver or passenger and hindering the free operation ofthe vehicle. In the case of a device mounted on a windshield or otherwindow, such as a dash cam having an outward facing camera, danglingwires may even impair the driver's visibility, causing an unsafesituation.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The present disclosure contemplates various apparatuses for overcomingthe above drawbacks accompanying the related art. One embodiment of thepresent disclosure is a mount for an electronic device. The mount mayinclude a suction cup defining a front face attachable to a flat surfaceand an opposed rear face, a plunger comprising a plunger head attachedto the rear face of the suction cup and a plunger arm extending awayfrom the plunger head, a plunger stator defining a guide passage throughwhich the plunger arm reciprocates relative to the plunger stator, aplunger actuator movably engaged with the plunger arm on an oppositeside of the guide passage as the plunger head, an adapter attached tothe plunger stator on the same side of the guide passage as the plungerhead, the adapter defining an opening through which the plunger armextends and a wire routing channel at least partially around a peripheryof the adapter, and a mounting arm extending from the adapter andconnectable to an electronic device.

Another embodiment the present disclosure is a mount for an electronicdevice. The mount includes a plurality of double-sided adhesive tapepieces, each of the double-sided adhesive tape pieces defining a frontside attachable to a flat surface and an opposed rear side, a strip ofseparable panels, each of the separable panels defining a front sideattached to the rear side of a respective one of the double-sidedadhesive tape pieces and an opposed rear side defining a wire routingguide, and a mounting arm extending from one end of the strip andconnectable to an electronic device.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These and other features and advantages of the various embodimentsdisclosed herein will be better understood with respect to the followingdescription and drawings, in which like numbers refer to like partsthroughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a mount according to an embodimentof the present disclosure, together with a dash cam to be mounted to avehicle interior using the mount;

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the mount and dash cam;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the mount and dash cam with amounting arm and device connector of the mount shown in exploded form;

FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the mount with the mounting arm anddevice connector shown in exploded form;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the mount and dash cam with asuction cup of the mount removed;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the mount;

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are side views of the mount and dash cam, with FIG.7A showing the mount in a state in which the suction cup is attached toa window, FIG. 7B showing the mount in a state in which the mounting armis pivoted away from the window relative to the device connector, andFIG. 7C showing the mount in another state in which the suction cup isattached to a window;

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of another mount according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure, together with a dash cam to bemounted to a vehicle interior using the mount;

FIG. 9 is a rear perspective view of the mount and dash cam;

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the mount and dash cam with amounting arm and device connector of the mount shown in exploded form;

FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the mount with the mounting armand device connector shown in exploded form;

FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C are side views of the mount and dash cam, withFIG. 12A showing the mount in a state in which a plurality ofdouble-sided adhesive tape pieces of the mount are attached to a window,FIG. 12B showing the mount in a state in which the mounting arm ispivoted away from the window relative to the device connector, and FIG.12C showing the mount in another state in which the plurality ofdouble-sided adhesive tape pieces of the mount are attached to a window;and

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of a portion of FIG. 12A.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure encompasses various apparatuses for mounting anelectronic device such as a dash cam to a vehicle interior. The detaileddescription set forth below in connection with the appended drawings isintended as a description of several currently contemplated embodiments.It is not intended to represent the only form in which the disclosedsubject matter may be developed or utilized. The description sets forththe functions and features in connection with the illustratedembodiments. It is to be understood, however, that the same orequivalent functions may be accomplished by different embodiments thatare also intended to be encompassed within the scope of the presentdisclosure. It is further understood that the use of relational termssuch as first and second and the like are used solely to distinguish onefrom another entity without necessarily requiring or implying any actualsuch relationship or order between such entities.

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a mount 100 according to anembodiment of the present disclosure, together with a dash cam 300 to bemounted to a vehicle interior using the mount 100. FIG. 2 is a rearperspective view of the mount 100 and dash cam 300. A person wishing tomount the dash cam 300 to a windshield or other flat surface may attacha suction cup 140 of the mount 100 to the flat surface and position thedash cam 300 as desired relative to a mounting arm 110 of the mount 100,for example, with a camera 330 of the dash cam 300 pointing toward awindow 400 (see FIGS. 7A and 7C) such as a windshield. A power cord orother wire 126 connected to the dash cam 300 may be routed through themount 100 to a desired position away from the dash cam 300. In this way,the wire 126 may be hidden by the mount 100 and prevented from danglingin an unattractive, inconvenient, or hazardous way.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of the mount 100 and dash cam 300,with the mounting arm 110 and a device connector 120 of the mount 100shown in exploded form. FIG. 4 is a rear perspective view of the mount100, with the mounting arm 110 and device connector 120 shown inexploded form. As shown in FIG. 3, the dash cam 300 may have, inaddition to the camera 330, a connector socket 310, which may be, forexample, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) socket such as a USB-C femaleconnector. The connector socket 310 may receive a connector plug 122(e.g. a USB plug such as a USB-C male connector) of the device connector120 (see FIG. 4). The dash cam 300 may additionally have a dummy socket320 for receiving a dummy plug 123 of the device connector 120 so thatthe connector plug 122 alone does not bear the weight of the dash cam300 while the dash cam 300 is mounted using the mount 100. In somecases, for example, in the case of USB, the connector socket 310 andconnector plug 122 may additionally serve as a connection for datatransmission. Alternatively, it is contemplated that a separate dataport connection may be made between the dash cam 300 and deviceconnector 120, for example, using a data port adjacent to the connectorsocket 310. In a case where the dash cam 300 is wirelessly powered, e.g.by battery, solar, etc., the data connection may be the only connectionbetween the dash cam 300 and the device connector 120. In this regard,it is noted that the description of the connector socket 310 andconnector plug 122 applies equally to other socket/plug connections,including data port connections.

The socket(s) 310, 320 may be disposed on a shelf 360 extending to oneside of the dash cam 300 such as upward from the top as shown. In thisway, connections to the socket(s) 310, 320 may be made on the same sideof the dash cam 300 as the camera 330, that is, the front of the dashcam 300, without obstructing the camera 300. This may be useful in thecase of mounting an electronic device with an outward facing camera 330such as the dash cam 300, since the mount 100 is then able to liesubstantially flat against the window without needing to extend awayfrom the window to connect to the dash cam 300 from behind or from theside. Otherwise, a larger mount more likely obstruct a driver's visionmay be required.

Within the body of the device connector 120, the connector plug 122 mayconnect to the wire 126 to allow power and/or data transmission via thewire 126. The wire 126 may extend from the device connector 120 for somelength, for example, around 6-18 feet, in order to allow routing throughthe mount 100 and subsequently along the interior of the vehicle to avehicle power outlet and/or data port (not shown). The wire 126 mayterminate in a vehicle-side connector such as a USB connector orcigarette lighter connector (not shown). Because the wire 126 is routedthrough the mount 100 before being routed along the vehicle interior asdescribed below in more detail, the wire 126 need not dangle in midairbetween the dash cam 300 and the wall, ceiling, or other vehiclesurface.

The device connector 120 may further have a knuckle 124 defining a hingeaxis 125 for rotational engagement with the mounting arm 110 of themount 100. The hinge axis 125 may be defined by a circular hole formedthrough the knuckle 124. Correspondingly, the mounting arm 110 may havea pair of knuckles 112 a, 112 b (see FIG. 4) rotationally engageablewith the knuckle 124 of the device connector 120 by insertion of a pin114 along the hinge axis 125. The pin 114 may be a threaded screw thatis secured by a nut 116. It is noted that the particular arrangement andnumber of knuckles 124, 112 a, 112 b on the device connector 120 andmounting arm 110 may vary. For example, there may be two knuckles on thedevice connector 120 and one on the mounting arm 110. Other rotationalengagement mechanisms may be used instead of a hinge having knuckles anda pin, including a ball and socket arrangement that allows 360-degreemotion between the mounting arm 110 and device connector 120. Such analternative may allow a mounted dash cam 300 to be panned right or left.With the mounting arm 110 rotationally connected to the device connector120 and the device connector 120 plugged into the dash cam 300, themount 100 may be attached to a windshield or other flat surface of avehicle with the dash cam 300 held at a desired angle relative to themount 100. In this way, the dash cam 300 may be mounted on windows 400and other surfaces of various inclines while maintaining a desired fieldof view of the camera 330 (see FIGS. 7A and 7C).

FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the mount 100 and dash cam 300with the suction cup 140 of the mount 100 removed. As shown, the wire126 extending from the device connector 120 may be routed from the backof the mounting arm 110 to the front, passing between the knuckles 112a, 112 b. In this regard, a mounting arm wire routing channel 119 may bedefined between fingers 118 a, 118 b extending respectively from theknuckles 112 a, 112 b as shown (see FIGS. 4 and 5), and the wire 126 maybe routed along the mounting arm wire routing channel 119. In a casewhere the mounting arm 110 has only a single knuckle and a singlefinger, the mounting arm wire routing channel 119 may instead be definedby a borehole through the single finger mounting arm 110 or by a channelalong one side thereof.

As shown in FIG. 5, the mount 100 may further include an adapter 130from which the mounting arm 110 extends. The mounting arm 110 and theadapter 130 may be integrally formed, for example, from a single pieceof plastic. The adapter 130 may be shaped so as to be coextensive withthe suction cup 140 and may, for example, be a circular piece ofsubstantially the same diameter as the disc-shaped suction cup 140shown. Having been routed to the front of the mounting arm 110, the wire126 may be routed through the adapter 130 along a wire routing channel134 of the adapter 130. For example, the wire 126 may enter the adapter130 through a wire entry passage 136 a at a first end of the adapter130, travel through the adapter 130 along the wire routing channel 134and exit the adapter 130 through a wire routing passage 136 c at asecond end of the adapter 130 opposite the first end. The wire routingchannel 134 may extend at least partially around a periphery of theadapter 130, for example, defining a circular channel around theperimeter of the circular adapter 130 shown. Additional wire routingpassages 136 b, 136 d may be provided as alternative exits for the wire126. In this way, the wire 126 may exit from the adapter 130 at anappropriate side depending on which direction the wire 126 will berouted upon leaving the mount 100.

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the mount 100. The deviceconnector 120 is omitted. As shown in FIG. 6, the adapter 130 may beassembled between the suction cup 140 and a plunger actuator 180 thatactuates the suction cup 140. In particular, the suction cup 140 maydefine a front face attachable to the windshield or other flat surfacesuch as the. window 400 in FIGS. 7A and 7C, and an opposed rear facethat may be manipulated to create a vacuum between the suction cup 140and the flat surface so as to increase suction. To this end, a plunger150, disposed behind the suction cup 140, may have a plunger head 152attached to the rear face of the suction cup 140 and a plunger arm 154extending away from the plunger head 152 (downwardly in FIG. 6). Theplunger 150 may be formed integrally with the suction cup 140. Thesuction cup 140 itself or a portion thereof may serve as the plungerhead 152. The plunger 150 may be attached to the suction cup 140 byadhesive or by insertion in a sleeve or abutting a flange formed on therear face of the suction cup 140. In a case where the plunger head 152is a separate piece from the suction cup 140, the plunger head 152 maybe a flat, circular member that contacts the suction cup 140 in thecenter thereof.

On the other side of the adapter 130 from the suction cup 140 (below theadapter 130 in FIG. 6), a plunger stator 160 may be attached to theadapter 130, for example, by one or more screws 138. The plunger stator160 may define a guide passage 162 through which the plunger arm 154reciprocates relative to the plunger stator 160. As the plunger arm 154moves in one direction (downward in FIG. 6) relative to the plungerstator 160, the plunger head 152 pulls the central portion of thesuction cup 140 away from the windshield or other flat surface,generating the vacuum between the suction cup 140 and the flat surfaceand making it more difficult to detach the suction cup 140 from the flatsurface. As the plunger arm 154 moves in the opposite direction (upwardin FIG. 6) relative to the plunger stator 160, the plunger head 152pushes the central portion of the suction cup 140 toward the windshieldor other flat surface, reducing or eliminating the vacuum and making iteasier to detach the suction cup 140 from the flat surface.

The plunger actuator 180 may be movably engaged with the plunger arm 154on the opposite side of the guide passage 162 as the plunger head 152(e.g. below the guide passage 162 in FIG. 6). For example, a plunger pin156 inserted through or otherwise attached to the plunger arm 154 may berotatably engaged by two circular traps 182 formed in the plungeractuator 180. As shown in FIG. 6, the traps 182 may be circular groovesformed in the plunger actuator 180 that are open on one side to allowinsertion of the plunger pin 156, with the opening being smaller thanthe diameter of the plunger pin 156. In this way, the plunger pin 156may be prevented from entering or exiting the traps 182 unless thematerial of the plunger actuator 180 is flexed to widen the openings ofthe traps 182. With the plunger pin 156 held by the traps 182, theplunger actuator 180 may then pivot about the plunger pin 156 withoutreleasing the plunger pin 156.

By appropriately sizing the plunger actuator 180 and surrounding wallsof the plunger stator 160, the pivoting of the plunger actuator 180about the plunger pin 156 may translate into reciprocal motion of theplunger pin 156 and plunger arm 154 relative to the plunger stator 160.The plunger actuator 180 may act as a lever operable by a user of themount 100. As the user pulls a handle 184 of the plunger actuator 180out of the plunger stator 160 (downward in FIG. 6), the plunger actuator180 may push the plunger pin 156 and plunger arm 154, causing theplunger 150 to move upward to reduce or eliminate the vacuum between thesuction cup 140 and the windshield or other flat surface. With thehandle 184 of the plunger actuator 180 pulled out in this way, theplunger actuator 180 may be said to be in the “unlocked” position. Asthe user pushes the handle 184 of the plunger actuator 180 into theplunger stator 160 (upward in FIG. 6), the plunger actuator 180 may pullthe plunger pin 156 and plunger arm 154, causing the plunger 150 to movedownward to increase or create the vacuum. With the handle 184 of theplunger actuator 180 pushed in in this way, the plunger actuator 180 maybe said to be in the “locked” position. In this way, the plungeractuator 180 may actuate the suction cup 140.

The plunger head 152 may be biased away from the plunger stator 160 by abiasing member 170 such as a spring disposed between the plunger stator160 and the plunger head 152. The biasing member 170 may allow theplunger actuator 180 to remain in the unlocked position as the biasingmember 170 urges the plunger head 152 toward the suction cup 140. Thismay create an appropriate resistance that the user feels when he triesto operate the handle 184 of the plunger actuator 180 to move theplunger actuator 180 away from the unlocked position.

At the same time, the plunger actuator 180 may have one or more camsurfaces 186 that ride along an interior surface of the plunger stator160 as the plunger actuator 180 moves between the unlocked and lockedpositions, such that the distance between the traps 182 and the interiorsurface of the plunger stator 160 changes depending on the rotationalposition of the plunger actuator 180. With the plunger pin 156 held bythe traps 182, this changing distance determines how far the handle 184is pulled through the guide passage 162 by the plunger actuator 180.Thus, by appropriately defining the cam surface(s) 186, the distancethat the plunger arm 154 is pulled by the plunger actuator 180 throughthe guide passage 162 may be set to be at a maximum when the plungeractuator 180 is in between the unlocked and locked positions, resultingin the greatest urging force of the biasing member 170 at some thresholdposition that is neither the unlocked nor the locked position. As aresult, the biasing member 170 may urge the plunger actuator 180 towardboth the unlocked state and the locked state, depending on the positionof the plunger actuator 180. In this way, the biasing member 170 may beused to resist locking as well as unlocking, with the plunger actuator180 “snapping” toward either the locked or unlocked position aftercrossing the threshold position defined by the cam surface(s) 186. Thus,the user may feel an appropriate resistance as he attempts to operatethe handle 184 of the plunger actuator 180 either to move the plungeractuator 180 away from the unlocked position or away from the lockedposition.

As noted above, the wire 126 may travel through the adapter 130 alongthe wire routing channel 134 at least partially around a periphery ofthe adapter 130 between the wire entry passage 136 a and one of the wirerouting passages 136 b, 136 c, 136 d. By routing the wire 126 around theperiphery of the adapter 130, the wire routing channel 134 may allow thewire 126 to pass through the adapter 130 without interfering with theaction of the plunger 150 as the plunger actuator 180 moves between theunlocked and locked positions. In this regard, the wire routing channel134 may be formed around an opening 132 defined through the center ofthe adapter 130, and the plunger 150 and biasing member 170 may bedisposed so as to extend through the opening 132 between the suction cup140 and the plunger stator 160. In addition, the positioning of the wirerouting channel 134 at the periphery of the adapter 130 may allow easyaccess to the wire routing channel 134 by a user wishing to reroute thewire 126 or remove/replace the same. For instance, the wire 126 may bererouted to a different wire routing passage 136 b, 136 c, 136 d, or adifferent device connector 120 may be connected to the mounting arm 110and linked with the wire 126.

The user may simply pull the suction cup 140 away from the adapter 130at the periphery thereof, revealing the wire routing channel 134. Thereis no need to interfere with the connection of the suction cup 140 tothe plunger 150, the connection of the plunger 150 to the plungeractuator 180, or the connection of the adapter 130 to the plunger stator160. After placing the wire 126, or a new or different wire 126 in thewire routing channel 134 at the desired position, the user may simplyrelease the suction cup 140, allowing the suction cup 140 to again coverthe wire routing channel 134 and hide the wire 126. The wire 126 may beprevented from easily falling out of the wire routing channel 134 byridges 135 formed therein (see FIG. 6).

FIGS. 7A, 7B, and 7C are side views of the mount 100 and dash cam 300.FIG. 7A shows the mount 100 in a state in which the suction cup 140 isattached to a window 400, and FIG. 7B shows the mount 100 in a state inwhich the mounting arm is pivoted away from the window 400 relative tothe device connector 120. FIG. 7C again shows the mount 100 in a statein which the suction cup 140 is attached to a window 400, this time anangled window 400 such as a windshield of a car or other vehicle. Asshown in FIGS. 7A and 7C, the dash cam 300 may be mounted on windows 400and other surfaces of various inclines while maintaining a desired fieldof view of the camera 330. Owing to the connection of the dash cam 300to the device connector 120 and the routing of the wire 126 through themount 100, no dangling wires are necessary. The wire 126 is alreadyadjacent to the window 400 as it leaves the adapter 130 and remains soeven if the position of the dash cam 300 is adjusted relative to themount 100. The wire 126 may thereafter be discreetly routed along thewindow 400 and/or other vehicle interior surfaces to an appropriateoutlet in the vehicle.

FIG. 8 is a front perspective view of a mount 200 according to anotherembodiment of the present disclosure, together with a dash cam 300 to bemounted to a vehicle interior using the mount 200. FIG. 9 is a rearperspective view of the mount 200 and dash cam 300. A person wishing tomount the dash cam 300 to a windshield or other flat surface may attacha plurality of double-sided adhesive tape pieces 240, 240 a of the mount200 to the flat surface and position the dash cam 300 as desiredrelative to a mounting arm 210 of the mount 200, for example, with acamera 330 of the dash cam 300 pointing toward a window 400 (see FIGS.12A and 12C) such as a windshield. The power cord or other wire 126described in relation to FIGS. 1-7C, which may be connected to the dashcam 300 via the device connector 120 as described above, may be routedthrough the mount 200 to a desired position away from the dash cam 300.In this way, as in the case of the mount 100, the wire 126 may be hiddenby the mount 200 and prevented from dangling in an unattractive,inconvenient, or hazardous way. While the wire 126 may remain at leastpartially visible as it is routed through the mount 200, the wire 126may nevertheless be effectively hidden from the user's eye for theextent of the mount 200 as the wire 126 may visually overlap with themount 200 rather than dangle in another direction. In other words, forthe length of the mount 200, the visual obtrusiveness of the wire 126may be only that of the mount 200 without the wire presenting anadditional visual obstruction.

FIG. 10 is a front perspective view of the mount 200 and dash cam 300,with the mounting arm 210 and the device connector 120 shown in explodedform. FIG. 11 is a rear perspective view of the mount 200, with themounting arm 210 and device connector 120 shown in exploded form. Thedevice connector 120 of the mount 200, including the wire 126, as wellas the connection between the device connector 120 and the device 300,may be the same as described in relation to the mount 100. Therefore,the same reference numbers are used, and the description is omitted.

The device connector 120 may engage with the mounting arm 210 of themount 200 in the same way as it engages with the mounting arm 110 of themount 100. For example, the device connector 120 may have a knuckle 124defining a hinge axis 125 for rotational engagement with the mountingarm 210 of the mount 200. The hinge axis 125 may be defined by acircular hole formed through the knuckle 124. Correspondingly, themounting arm 210 of the mount 200 may have a pair of knuckles 212 a, 212b (see FIG. 11) rotationally engageable with the knuckle 124 of thedevice connector 120 by insertion of a pin 214 along the hinge axis 125.Optionally, the pin 214 may be inserted through a bushing 217, which mayalso be used with the device connector 120 of FIG. 4. The pin 214 may bea threaded screw that is secured by a nut 216. As in the case of themount 100, it is noted that the particular arrangement and number ofknuckles 124, 212 a, 212 b on the device connector 120 and mounting arm210 may vary. For example, there may be two knuckles on the deviceconnector 120 and one on the mounting arm 210. Again, other rotationalengagement mechanisms may be used instead of a hinge having knuckles anda pin. A ball and socket arrangement could be used to allow 360-degreemotion between the mounting arm 210 and device connector 120, thusallowing a mounted dash cam 300 to be panned right or left. With themounting arm 210 rotationally connected to the device connector 120 andthe device connector 120 plugged into the dash cam 300, the mount 200may be attached to a windshield or other flat surface of a vehicle withthe dash cam 300 held at a desired angle relative to the mount 200. Inthis way, the dash cam 300 may be mounted on windows 400 and othersurfaces of various inclines while maintaining a desired field of viewof the camera 330 (see FIGS. 12A and 12C).

As shown in FIGS. 8-11, the mount 200 may further include a strip ofseparable panels 230 from which the mounting arm 210 extends. The panels230 may be made of a tearable, cuttable, or otherwise easily separablematerial such as a synthetic polymer such as nylon so that a user mayseparate and discard one or more of the panels 230 depending on thedesired length of the strip. Connection between the strip of panels 230and the mounting arm 210 may be made by adhering a tab 232 integrallyformed with the strip of panels 230 to the mounting arm 210. As shown inFIGS. 8 and 10, the tab 232 may be adhered to a tab-receiving tray 213on the front of the mounting arm 210. The tray 213 may be covered by thetab 232 in FIGS. 8 and 10. Moreover, the tray 213 may be bordered onthree sides by walls 215. A fourth side of the tab-receiving tray 213,that is, the side from which the strip of panels 230 extends, may bepartially or completely borderless in order to allow the strip of panels230 to extend outward from the mounting arm 210 while remaining flushwith the tab 232. For example, as shown, the walls 215 on the fourthside of the tab-receiving tray 213 may extend inward only partially oneither side of the tab 232 to act as a guide for the tab 232 and to helpretain the tab 232 within the tab-receiving tray 213.

As shown in FIGS. 8 and 10, the double-sided adhesive tape pieces 240may be disposed on the front sides of respective separable panels 230.For example, each of the panels 230 may have, on its front side, a tapetray 250 formed therein defining a recess of the same size and shape asa double-sided adhesive tape piece 240. The panels 230 may also beslightly larger than the double-sided adhesive tape piece 240 for easeof assembly. With one adhesive side of each tape piece 240 adhered to arespective panel 230 in this way, the opposed front side of each tapepiece 240 may face forward to be used for securing the mount 200 to awindow 400 (see FIGS. 12A and 12C) such as a windshield or to anotherflat surface. An additional mounting arm tape piece 240 a may bedisposed directly on the mounting arm 210, e.g. in a tape tray 250 aformed on the front side thereof. The mounting arm tape piece 240 a mayensure a secure attachment of the mount 200 to the windshield or otherflat surface even in a case where little room is available to place themount 200 and therefore few or none of the panels 230 is used.

As best shown in FIG. 9, the wire 126 extending from the deviceconnector 120 may be routed along the mounting arm 210, remaining in theback of the mounting arm 210, toward the strip of panels 230. In thisregard, a mounting arm wire routing channel 219 may be defined betweenfingers 218 a, 218 b extending respectively from the knuckles 212 a, 212b as shown, and the wire 126 may be routed along the mounting arm wirerouting channel 219 (see FIGS. 9 and 11). In a case where the mountingarm 210 has only a single knuckle and a single finger, the mounting armwire routing channel 219 may instead be defined by a channel along oneside thereof.

Having been routed along the mounting arm 210, the wire 126 may berouted along the back of the strip of separable panels 230, i.e. theside opposite the double-sided adhesive tape pieces 240. To position thewire 126 in one place as the wire travels along the panels 230, the wire126 may be routed through a wire routing channel 234 collectively formedon the rear sides of the strip of separable panels 230 (see FIGS. 9 and11), i.e. with each panel 230 defining a portion of the wire routingchannel 234 that aligns with that of an adjacent panel 230. The wire 126may thus be routed from the mounting arm wire routing channel 219 alongthe wire routing channel 234 defined by the backs of the panels 230,eventually exiting the mount 200 at the end of the last of the strip ofseparable panels 230. As such, the wire routing channel 219 may serve asa wire routing guide for the wire 126.

In order to secure the wire 126 to the rear side of each of theseparable panels 230, each of the separable panels 230 may have a clip236 that extends from the rear side thereof (see FIGS. 9 and 11). Theclips 236 may be aligned with the mounting arm wire routing channel 219.The wire 126 may thus be routed from the mounting arm wire routingchannel 219 along the backs of the separable panels 230 while beingsecured by the clips 236, eventually exiting the mount 200 at the end ofthe last of the strip of separable panels 230. As such, the clips 236may collectively serve as a wire routing guide for the wire 126,irrespective of whether the wire routing channel 219 is formed in thepanels 230.

Each of the clips 236 may define a closed end 236 a where the clip 236extends from the rear side of the panel 230 and an open end 236 b wherethe clip 236 terminates to form a gap 236 e between the clip 236 and therear side of the panel 230. The open end 236 b of each of the clips 236may have a protrusion 236 c extending toward the rear side of the panel230, the protrusion 236 c defining a wire retaining recess 236 d betweenthe closed end 236 a and the open end 236 b of the clip 236. Theprotrusion 236 c may extend close enough to the rear side of the panel230 such that the resulting gap 236 e is smaller than the diameter ofthe wire 126. As such, it may be necessary to flex the clip 236 awayfrom the panel 230 to allow the wire 126 to pass through the gap 236 eand into the wire retaining recess 236 d. When not being flexed, theclip 236 may return to an unflexed state such that the protrusion 236 cprevents the wire 126 from easily falling out of the wire retainingrecess 236 d via the gap 236 e. The unflexed state of the clip 236 maybe defined such that the clip 236 may hold the wire 126 in the wireretaining recess 236 d without being flexed. That is, the distancebetween the rear side of each panel 230 and the retaining recess 236 dmay be designed to be at least as great as the diameter of the wire 126.In a case where a wire routing channel 234 is formed in the rear side ofeach panel 230 as described above, the unflexed state of the clip 236may be defined such that the clip 236 may hold the wire 126 in the wireretaining recess 236 d without being flexed while the wire 126 is withinthe wire routing channel 234. That is, the distance between the wirerouting channel 234 and the retaining recess 236 d may be designed to beat least as great as the diameter of the wire 126. In this way,unnecessary flexing of the clip 236 can be avoided, resulting in aprolonged the lifetime of the clip 236.

As best seen in FIGS. 9 and 11, the clips 236 of adjacent panels 230 maybe arranged closed end 236 a to open end 236 b in a direction of thestrip of panels 230. For example, with the mount 200 held such that thestrip of panels 230 extends upward from the mounting arm 210 as shown inFIGS. 9 and 11, the strip of panels 230 may be arranged in analternating pattern of rightward facing open end 236 b, leftward facingopen end 236 b, rightward facing open end 236 b, leftward facing openend 236 b, etc. (or two rightward, two leftward, two rightward, twoleftward, etc.) or in any other pattern or random arrangement includingadjacent panels 230 having opposite orientation. By arranging adjacentpanels 230 opposite to each other in this way, the wire 126 may beprevented from easily coming out of the mount 200 even in a case wherethe entire wire 126 is pulled in one direction with enough force to flexthe clips 236.

FIGS. 12A, 12B, and 12C are side views of the mount 200 and dash cam300. FIG. 12A shows the mount 200 in a state in which the double-sidedadhesive tape pieces 240, 240 a are attached to a window 400, and FIG.12B shows the mount 200 in a state in which the mounting arm is pivotedaway from the window 400 relative to the device connector 120. FIG. 12Cagain shows the mount 100 in a state in which the double-sided adhesivetape pieces 240, 240 a are attached to a window 400, this time an angledwindow 400 such as a windshield of a car or other vehicle. As shown inFIGS. 12A and 12C, the dash cam 300 may be mounted on windows 400 andother surfaces of various inclines while maintaining a desired field ofview of the camera 330. Owing to the connection of the dash cam 300 tothe device connector 120 and the routing of the wire 126 through themount 200, no dangling wires are necessary. The wire 126 is alreadyadjacent to the window 400 as it leaves the last of the strip ofseparable panels 230 and remains so even if the position of the dash cam300 is adjusted relative to the mount 200. The wire 126 may thereafterbe discreetly routed along the window 400 and/or other vehicle interiorsurfaces to an appropriate outlet in the vehicle.

As noted above, the strip of separable panels 230, including the tab232, may be made of a tearable, cuttable, or otherwise easily separablematerial such as a synthetic polymer (e.g. nylon) so that a user mayseparate and discard one or more of the panels 230 depending on thedesired length of the strip. In this way, the mount 200 can beconfigured to fit a desired space in the user's vehicle. In order tomake it easier to separate the panels 230 from each other, the rearsides of the panels 230 may define a notch 238 between adjacent panels230 (see FIGS. 10, 12A, and 13). FIG. 13, which is an enlarged view of aportion of FIG. 12A, shows a detailed view of one example of such anotch 238. As shown, one or more of the separable panels 230 has a firstthickness T₁ at a border thereof and a second thickness T₂ interior ofthe border, with the first thickness T₁ being less than the secondthickness T₂. In this way, the separable panels 230 can be designed soas to more readily separate at the borders between panels 230 thanelsewhere, allowing a user to tear off and discard one or more panelswithout risking accidental tearing of the remaining panels 230.

The clips 236 may be made of the same material as the panels 230 (e.g.nylon) and formed integrally therewith. For example, a portion of eachpanel 230 that will form the clip 236 may be punched out or otherwiseseparated from a sheet of the material except at an end that will formthe closed end 236 a, resulting in a hole through each panel 230 asshown (see FIGS. 10 and 11). The clips 236 may then be molded into thedesired shape together with the strip of panels 230 and tab 232. Suchmanufacturing process may be simpler and result in a product havingreduced weight relative to a process where the clips 236 are formed byadding material to the panels 230. The holes resulting from punching outthe clips 236 may also provide an easy means of removing thedouble-sided adhesive tape pieces 240 should the need arise. Morespecifically, this may be achieved by poking the tape pieces 240 outfrom behind.

The other parts of the mount 100, 200, including the mounting arm 110,device connector 120, adapter 130, plunger stator 160, plunger actuator180, and mounting arm 210, may be made of plastic or elastomer, e.g., athermoplastic polymer such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) or apolyurethane plastic such as thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU). Forexample, the device connector 120 may be made of TPU, which may have ashore A hardness of around 85) with the mounting arm 110, 210 andadapter 130 made of ABS.

In the illustrated embodiments, the device connector 120 is shown ashaving a connector plug 122 and dummy plug 123 while the dash cam 300 isshown as having a connector socket 310 and dummy socket 320. However,the disclosed embodiments are not intended to be so limited. Forexample, the dash cam 300 may have the connector plug 122 and dummy plug123 while the device connector 120 has the connector socket 310 anddummy socket 320, the connector socket 310 being connected to the wire126 within the body of the device connector 120. Alternatively, theconnector plug 122 and dummy socket 320 may be on the same side (i.e.either the device connector 120 or the dash cam 300) and the connectorsocket 310 and dummy plug 123 may be on the other.

As noted above, it is contemplated that a separate data port connectionmay be made between the dash cam 300 and device connector 120. In thisregard, the wire 126 may be a bundle of multiple wires for differentconnections, all of which may be routed through the mount 100, 200 asdescribed herein.

The dash cam 300 may additionally include various buttons, switches,indicators, and ports for turning the dash cam 300 on and off,communicating with the dash cam 300 via WiFi or other wirelesscommunication protocol, inserting and retrieving a memory card or otherstorage device, opening the dash cam 300 for repair or maintenance, etc.It is further noted that the dash cam 300 may or may not be designedspecifically for the mount 100, 200, and that the device connector 120of the mount 100, 200 may be used in place of a standard power cord toretrofit a preexisting dash cam 300.

The disclosure refers to a dash cam 300 as an example device to bemounted by the mount 100, 200. However, the disclosed embodiments arenot intended to be so limited. Various devices, including, navigationsystems such as GPS navigation aids, audio systems such as satelliteradio, docks and chargers for mobile devices, and image or audio capturedevices such as dash cams or other outward or inward facing cameras, oreven dual outward/inward facing cameras, are also contemplated as beingmountable by the mount 100, 200 in the same way as the dash cam 300.

The above description is given by way of example, and not limitation.Given the above disclosure, one skilled in the art could devisevariations that are within the scope and spirit of the inventiondisclosed herein. Further, the various features of the embodimentsdisclosed herein can be used alone, or in varying combinations with eachother and are not intended to be limited to the specific combinationdescribed herein. Thus, the scope of the claims is not to be limited bythe illustrated embodiments.

1-11. (canceled)
 12. A mount for an electronic device, the mountcomprising: a plurality of double-sided adhesive tape pieces, each ofthe double-sided adhesive tape pieces defining a front side attachableto a flat surface and an opposed rear side; a strip of separable panels,each of the separable panels defining a front side attached to the rearside of a respective one of the double-sided adhesive tape pieces and anopposed rear side defining a wire routing guide; and a mounting armextending from one end of the strip and connectable to an electronicdevice.
 13. The mount of claim 12, wherein the wire routing guide ofeach of the separable panels comprises a clip that extends from the rearside of the panel.
 14. The mount of claim 13, wherein the clip of eachof the separable panels defines a closed end where the clip extends fromthe rear side of the panel and an open end where the clip terminates toform a gap between the clip and the rear side of the panel.
 15. Themount of claim 14, wherein the clips of adjacent panels from among theseparable panels are arranged closed end to open end in a direction ofthe strip.
 16. The mount of claim 14, wherein the open end of each ofthe clips comprises a protrusion extending toward the rear side of thepanel, the protrusion defining a wire retaining recess between theclosed end and the open end of the clip.
 17. The mount of claim 12,wherein the rear sides of the separable panels collectively define awire routing channel.
 18. The mount of claim 12, wherein the rear sidesof the separable panels define a notch between adjacent ones of theseparable panels.
 19. The mount of claim 12, wherein one or more of theseparable panels has a first thickness at a border thereof and a secondthickness interior of the border, the first thickness being less thanthe second thickness.
 20. The mount of claim 12, wherein the strip ofseparable panels is made of a synthetic polymer.
 21. The mount of claim12, wherein the mounting arm defines a wire routing channel aligned withthe wire routing guide of one or more of the separable panels.
 22. Themount of claim 12, further comprising: a device connector having a pluginsertable into the electronic device, a first knuckle defining a hingeaxis, and a wire; wherein the mounting arm has a second knucklerotationally engageable with the first knuckle by insertion of a pinalong the hinge axis.
 23. The mount of claim 22, wherein the wirerouting guide of each of the separable panels comprises a clip thatextends from the rear side of the panel.
 24. The mount of claim 23,wherein the clip of each of the separable panels defines a closed endwhere the clip extends from the rear side of the panel and an open endwhere the clip terminates to form a gap between the clip and the rearside of the panel, the gap being smaller than a diameter of the wire.25. The mount of claim 24, wherein the open end of each of the clipscomprises a protrusion extending toward the rear side of the panel, theprotrusion defining a wire retaining recess between the closed end andthe open end of the clip.
 26. The mount of claim 25, wherein a distancebetween the rear side of each panel and the wire retaining recess is atleast as great as the diameter of the wire.
 27. The mount of claim 25,wherein the mounting arm defines a wire routing channel aligned with thewire routing guide of one or more of the separable panels, and adistance between the wire routing channel and the retaining recess is atleast as great as the diameter of the wire.
 28. The mount of claim 15,wherein the clips of adjacent panels from among the separable panels arearranged in an alternating pattern of oppositely facing open ends. 29.The mount of claim 12, further comprising a tab integrally formed withthe strip of separable panels, wherein the mounting arm includes a traythat receives the tab.
 30. The mount of claim 12, further comprising anadditional double-sided adhesive tape piece defining a front sideattachable to the flat surface and an opposed rear side attached to themounting arm.
 31. The mount of claim 12, wherein the electronic deviceis a dash cam.